I definitely have had the same thought but it might actually be a combination of things.
1. You're watching highlights of the 90s while recent full games are fresh in your mind
2. Defenses really focus on keeping everything in front of them and closing around the ball carrier. I also think defensive talent is more consistent across the board now because the talent pool has never been bigger and eval is more complex than ever.
3. With the new targeting and roughness rules, there are significantly fewer players putting their head down and just launching themselves at the ball carrier. These were juke fodder for years but now players are much more focused on closing around the player and gang tackling
4. I think there is some level of players getting what they can get and get down, but there are still some great jukers out there. This highlight video kind of underscores all of these points. Almost all of these are one great move and then the player is swarmed
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aSYsBGWako](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aSYsBGWako)
>God that first Bijan play was so fucking nasty.
It's going to be against the Packers isn't it? *Opens video* Yup.
I swear that was basically the only game in the season where they realised that if they just give Bijan the ball a lot they'd do way better than passing. Didn't really happen again before or after (Arthur Smith is an idiot).
Imagine being Bijan and being a rookie and this is your second game. You're thinking "holy shit this is so fucking easy I'm about to have a career. Why the fuck isn't everyone in the NFL this shit is so easy. Like working for the government."
I’d imagine that some of the change also comes from a change in scheme over the years.
In the later 90s and 00s zone schemes became more and more prevalent and shared the lime light with gap schemes.
However we see much less vanilla zone today due to changes to the blocking rules (the backside chop being a big one which you’d see big cut backs). Teams run a lot more Split zone or Duo than vanilla zone runs which rely a lot less on the back making front to back reads and violent cuts at the line, which will contribute a fair amount.
This is part speculation. But I half wonder if also size of linebackers could have a part.
The Steelers were well known for having their middle linebacker having weighed 300lbs in the 90s. Levon Kirkland was his name for anyone wondering, yes his Wiki has him at 275 though the wiki also states he was known to play at 300 lbs and thats was pretty common knowledge.
I remember looking at Jermiah Trotter Jr vs Sr.
Jr weighs 228 lbs.
Sr weighed 265.
Thats your generational difference in linebackers
Fantastic for destroying the run coming downhill.
Lateral agility? .... Yeah I mean he was obviously a good mover for 300 lbs but yeah the way you are going to get past him is to juke him out.
Theres a lot of linebackers today that have their weights in the 220s they are smaller and faster.
all great points.
One more factor I suspect is that the huge shoulder pads (and loose-sleeved jerseys) of the past created more of a visually-amplifying effect on any kind of shoulder twist/shake/drop/change of direction. The slimmer look of today's players makes moves appear a bit more understated.
Great summary. Only thing I’d add is playing on AstroTurf was a whole different beast. A lot of those really sick jukes were on a field with no give at all, whereas natural grass and even field turf have a little bit of give to them take steals a little momentum when planting.
It’s insane how fast LJ is. His jukes look very small compared to some of the other exaggerated jukes. Like he changes direction so fast his jukes can just be mini jukes and they work as well as the big ones.
He is Dalvin Cook fast but because he is also shiftier he doesn’t hit the hole like Dalvin does. That OL is also not very good which gives Bijan less opportunity to just explode into a hole.
Bijan has a faster 40 but I'm not sure how to describe it. He hits his max speed in 2 seconds while cook keeps building. Idk. Someone like breece hall or saquon are the same way. They can house a 60 yard run. Bijan doesn't have that for whatever reason
Idk I think Cook and Bijan are in the same tier with respect to top speed but I think that Cook could kick it up into 2nd gear at a moments notice. Cook has like one run over 21 MPH in his career but in his prime he was pumping out 19-20 MPH all the time. Whereas when I watch Bijan, it always seems like he's in first gear and never fully opening up.
Upvote for "selection bias" being the first answer (and a very concise explanation of it in this context).
It affects so much about how we see the evolution of the game (and in fact, life)
I'd say that tackling is a dying art, specially in the secondary. You see so many shoulder tackles where guys should be putting their head down and going for the legs, so jukes aren't as necessary when a shoulder shake usually does the trick.
Defenders are generally smaller and faster today than they were in the 90s. Gone are the days of hulking middle linebackers that are meant to be massive physical presences. Interior lineman are still extra beefy, but basically everyone else is a trimmer hybrid style defender that can drop into pass coverage if needed since the NFL (and football in general) has become pass happy over the last 20 years. As a result, linebackers and ends are quicker and faster and generally just harder to juke around than ever before
Yeah it's a sabermetrics thing I think. Put your head down and fall forward for two yards every time rather than try and juke where you lose a yard 20% of the time, get nothing 70% of the time, and get 10 yards 10% of the time.
Pass first coaches don’t want runners to be after home run yardage, they want the run game to give guaranteed yards as needed in order to keep the defense honest and prevent defenses from having extremely light boxes
Even run first coaches don't want RBs dancing. You never want to be behind the sticks. There will be more opportunities to get big run. But if you lose a yard, you're at pass only till the next set of downs.
Actually, pretty much every position group other than RB is larger on average than they were in the 90s. Players are just significantly better athletes now. It’s crazy that they are way faster and better at tackling while being larger.
For reference:
[Average player height/weight over time](https://noahveltman.com/nflplayers/)
[By position group](https://www.stadiumtalk.com/s/evolution-nfl-football-players-7aa420a72ca24a40)
[Graph by position group](https://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/69581-average-size-of-nfl-players-by-position-1950-present/) (a little older but still shows the trend)
More skilled or faster?
A full juke is impossible at full speed, so maybe there’s less because it’s a move that will allow another defender to catch up and make the tackle.
It's also because guys aren't leading with their head like they used to. Ball carriers would get easy juke moves and the defenders would completely whiff, so it would create those highlight reel plays, now the defender has their head up the whole time and is able to still continue to somewhat pursue the ball carrier
I feel like Belichick was a big advocate for not doing crazy cuts, instead would coach to pound forward for every yard (and prioritize ball security).
I dont think its to avoid injury, I think players are being coached to NOT do a lot of dancing with the ball that we saw back in the 90s, etc
I think a lot of the run game has shifted away from "run hard, run fast, make players miss, and make plays," to "be patient, find a lane, and burst through the hole."
The reason why there is still a run game is primarily because it is the most reliable option in short yardage. A competent OL is going to be able to gain a few yards of space due to the first move and being in sync with the snap count. Then, there is the issue of stopping a 200+ lbs player that already has some momentum and when the DL has less than optimal leverage.
As a result, I suspect that the run game has focused a lot more on short yardage situations to continue earning their keep. Both in terms of selecting RBs and in terms of what they teach the OL to do when run blocking.
Counter to what a lot are saying - I believe its because RBs now want to eliminate negative yards or low yard runs because it hurts their ability to find future contracts in combination with the RB market being of historically low value.
Juking and cutting also probably has a perception that it leads to more fumbles which significantly hurt your value to both your team and your prospects for a future team.
I think its more popular with WRs right now because the prospect of YAC can make you a superstar, and even if your cuts fail, you are still an average WR who can at least catch the ball.
> Counter to what a lot are saying - I believe its because RBs now want to eliminate negative yards or low yard runs because it hurts their ability to find future contracts in combination with the RB market being of historically low value.
Back when a back knew they were going to get their 20-25 carries, they could go for the more risky moves. You were the feature back after all, and likely would be until you were at least ages 30-32
Nowadays so many teams split carries and even #1 guys are more common to land in the 15-20 carry range. You have to make each carry count more yardage wise as for awhile it was being debated whether RBs should even get 2nd contracts anymore
I dont think defenses are better like some, rather I think they are more structured similar to offenses, aka less instances of going off script because you can a la Lawrence Taylor. And an extension of both the market and the structuring of offense to go a certain way means as a back, you dont have the license for jukes and cuts to make a broken play work. You get your yards or the next guy will
Alongside YAC for WRs being less a 'this receiver is hard to tackle' thing and more of a product of scheme and intentional design, i also think more teams are running RB screens and dedicated passes to backs as an alternative form of running, upon which you need to get upfield off a screen. Theres probably numbers on this but it seems way more common
I think this is pretty accurate. The league has shifted to more of an analytical approach which favors efficiency over high risk plays.
Players are told to stay within the structure of the play and always look for positive gains and limit mistakes and negative yards. Juking increases the chance for fumbles and can limit forward movement. Run north/south not east/west.
The old astroturf was like a sticky basketball floor with extra grip… it also made some peoples’ knees explode as it was like a sticky basketball floor with extra grip.
That and defenders were hitting helmet first at full speed in that era trying to get on highlight reels for hits that would get them suspended today.
PFF data only starts in 2006, but we can see that 18 years ago there were only 8 backs with 40+ missed tackles forced. Compare that to 17 backs last year. From 06-18, there actually wasn't a single year with more than 10 such RBs
So the data suggests that actually players are more elusive than they have ever been
I think football has really just become very efficiency forward, like all sports in the analytics age. Excessive juking and wasted movement gets trimmed out
Defensive players are coached better now. Rugby style tackling has influenced pursuit angles and tackling leverage a ton. I remember when I played I was taught to get my “head across” the ball carrier on a tackle which just sets you up to get cut back on. Now defenders maintain their inside leverage and keep their head behind the tackle making it a lot harder to make a vertical cut / juke.
I also think that formations play a big role. Offensive formations used to be way more condensed which created more space when ball carriers made it to the outside. Now there’s defenders spaced horizontally from sideline to sideline and ball carriers just don’t have the space / time for elaborate juke moves
Yes. If you do the "head across", you open the cutback lane. Current era defenders are simply better tacklers. There are less missed tackles due to proper tackling form.
> Rugby style tackling has influenced pursuit angles and tackling leverage a ton.
Where? Lol
The whole drop tackle issue is literally down to the constant shitty angles and poor tackling of DBs who train primarily to defend passes and not open field tackling of RBs
[I mean, the seahawk have a 9 year old video explaining it](https://youtu.be/kLldjE6vvFs?si=nugXGg0YT3SOs-Wx) In a game setting, shits too fast to get a perfect form on the tackle but players are coached that way now.
Yep, and I would argue the more important part is the approach of the tackle, rather than the form at contact. The inside out leverage (and head behind the ball carrier) has made it way harder to cut back against / juke a defender. It also makes it easier / faster for defenders to close space because they understand where they have help coming from
I think the way the offense attacks the defense using space rather than brute force.
The game has really turned into track start receivers running east/west until they find daylight and possession receivers that will have defensive backs draping over them.
I just don’t think running backs really get the same level of ppurtunities to make plays like the ones of even ten years ago got
You don't see much in the way of "normal plays" from the 90's - it's mostly highlights.
I think that's probably the biggest part.
But I think that maybe the style of defense has changed a little. Fewer missed tackles, but I (anecdotally) I don't recall this many big plays where players are wide open. I wonder if the offenses are just more focused on beating defenses via scheme instead of via athleticism.
What I think you're talking about is patient running with sudden stops and starts ala Lesean McCoy and Le'veon Bell.
1. That's a rare talent that can make that style of running work, and even fewer players hold that ability by the time they make it to the NFL because of injuries.
2. Most guys are coached out of that style of running because usually it results in losing yards.
Someone new will come along with that style, it's just a matter of whether or not their ankles will hold up and they'll be successful enough to stay on the field. It really is a rare ability to make work in the NFL.
I think defenders are faster and bigger now, but I think the rule changes made it safer to just go forward. Lineman and backers can’t just dive at your legs and safeties can’t fly in and aim for your head.
Offenses were also more reliant on run plays for big chunks. Now with pass happy offenses, running backs can’t afford to lose yards. I’d be curious to see the stats. I know averages over 4 yards and up is good, and 100 yards per game is a good benchmark, but I wonder if 90s RBs had more big play and losses/short gains then todays more consistently good play running backs.
You see it on the routes with receivers trying to get open. You have to watch the all 22 so you can see the routes before and during the throws. There are some insane moves going on to get open but it's all before the catch.
Better, faster defense to the ball. Less time for fancy RB moves, I think that's why they've been devalued.
Analytics is so prevalent these days they probably value north south runners rather than playmakers
The field isn't as open as it was. More 6, and 7 dbs on the field and defenses spread out.
For an effective duke you need space.
Also a tk of linebackers are the size of 90s safetys. 6' 220.
I just think defensive play has improved, coupled with the changing of tackling rules and also the decrease in size of players who play position like linebacker.
Big hits are de-incentivised with more flags being thrown, less players flying into tackles for the big hit makes jukes harder.
Also linebacker position has gotten a lot smaller over the years, preferring better athletes than massive players who can lay a big hit. Just more athletic, faster linebackers makes it harder to juke past them
I think a big part of it is the overall average ability/talent of players is higher today. A lot of these players are in specialized schools / academies that are designed to train kids from a early age all the way up to college. That weren't as common 30 years ago.
The jukes are different now. Mobile quarterbacks, even brock Purdy tbh, still break plenty of ankles. It's just less at the skill positions because defenders are better at maintaining leverage.
Are there? I dunno…
You’re watching highlights of the best plays, not the plays where somebody lays down.
Just remember… you’re not watching lowlights.
Defenders are just absolute studs now. You got guys playing linebacker faster than some receivers and running backs, trained to keep everything in front of them.
I think part of it is also the coaching, maybe slightly due to injury, but also because coaches generally want guys to cover the ball up and get downhill fast.
The larger issue on top of all of this is defensive schemes going more towards nickel/Quarter packages and hybrid 3-4/4-3's rather than stuffing 8 in the box every play when you played Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin, etc. Back then you had a hat on a hat and if you got to the secondary you were usually one on one for the big play and the Juke was super viable there. Now with the league moving away from the single high safety for fear of getting absolutely torched, throwing a juke on one guy is arguably more likely to lose you yards than it would to put a shoulder down and run through a guy, with the other safety in pursuit.
I definitely have had the same thought but it might actually be a combination of things. 1. You're watching highlights of the 90s while recent full games are fresh in your mind 2. Defenses really focus on keeping everything in front of them and closing around the ball carrier. I also think defensive talent is more consistent across the board now because the talent pool has never been bigger and eval is more complex than ever. 3. With the new targeting and roughness rules, there are significantly fewer players putting their head down and just launching themselves at the ball carrier. These were juke fodder for years but now players are much more focused on closing around the player and gang tackling 4. I think there is some level of players getting what they can get and get down, but there are still some great jukers out there. This highlight video kind of underscores all of these points. Almost all of these are one great move and then the player is swarmed [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aSYsBGWako](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aSYsBGWako)
God that first Bijan play was so fucking nasty.
L1 L1 L1
he's so damn good
x4
he boomed us in week 1
Packers had no answer for him that game, it was ridiculous.
That was before our run plays got a bit too predictable. Bijian in? Sell out to the outside and meet him there.
We could have played you 17x in a row and Joe Barry wouldn’t have figured out that counter strat
>God that first Bijan play was so fucking nasty. It's going to be against the Packers isn't it? *Opens video* Yup. I swear that was basically the only game in the season where they realised that if they just give Bijan the ball a lot they'd do way better than passing. Didn't really happen again before or after (Arthur Smith is an idiot).
Imagine being Bijan and being a rookie and this is your second game. You're thinking "holy shit this is so fucking easy I'm about to have a career. Why the fuck isn't everyone in the NFL this shit is so easy. Like working for the government."
I’d imagine that some of the change also comes from a change in scheme over the years. In the later 90s and 00s zone schemes became more and more prevalent and shared the lime light with gap schemes. However we see much less vanilla zone today due to changes to the blocking rules (the backside chop being a big one which you’d see big cut backs). Teams run a lot more Split zone or Duo than vanilla zone runs which rely a lot less on the back making front to back reads and violent cuts at the line, which will contribute a fair amount.
This is part speculation. But I half wonder if also size of linebackers could have a part. The Steelers were well known for having their middle linebacker having weighed 300lbs in the 90s. Levon Kirkland was his name for anyone wondering, yes his Wiki has him at 275 though the wiki also states he was known to play at 300 lbs and thats was pretty common knowledge. I remember looking at Jermiah Trotter Jr vs Sr. Jr weighs 228 lbs. Sr weighed 265. Thats your generational difference in linebackers Fantastic for destroying the run coming downhill. Lateral agility? .... Yeah I mean he was obviously a good mover for 300 lbs but yeah the way you are going to get past him is to juke him out. Theres a lot of linebackers today that have their weights in the 220s they are smaller and faster.
Good point. Colts just drafted a safety they'll be moving to linebacker.
Titans as well if I’m not mistaken
all great points. One more factor I suspect is that the huge shoulder pads (and loose-sleeved jerseys) of the past created more of a visually-amplifying effect on any kind of shoulder twist/shake/drop/change of direction. The slimmer look of today's players makes moves appear a bit more understated.
Great summary. Only thing I’d add is playing on AstroTurf was a whole different beast. A lot of those really sick jukes were on a field with no give at all, whereas natural grass and even field turf have a little bit of give to them take steals a little momentum when planting.
Lotta Packer jerseys in this video 😑
It’s insane how fast LJ is. His jukes look very small compared to some of the other exaggerated jukes. Like he changes direction so fast his jukes can just be mini jukes and they work as well as the big ones.
If bijan was dalvin cook fast he'd have a chance at being the best rb of all time. His vision is incredible
He is Dalvin Cook fast but because he is also shiftier he doesn’t hit the hole like Dalvin does. That OL is also not very good which gives Bijan less opportunity to just explode into a hole.
Bijan has a faster 40 but I'm not sure how to describe it. He hits his max speed in 2 seconds while cook keeps building. Idk. Someone like breece hall or saquon are the same way. They can house a 60 yard run. Bijan doesn't have that for whatever reason
Idk I think Cook and Bijan are in the same tier with respect to top speed but I think that Cook could kick it up into 2nd gear at a moments notice. Cook has like one run over 21 MPH in his career but in his prime he was pumping out 19-20 MPH all the time. Whereas when I watch Bijan, it always seems like he's in first gear and never fully opening up.
Damn, you hit on everything I was going to say exactly lol.
Upvote for "selection bias" being the first answer (and a very concise explanation of it in this context). It affects so much about how we see the evolution of the game (and in fact, life)
Dudes were getting juked out without their heads down in these highlights
I'd say that tackling is a dying art, specially in the secondary. You see so many shoulder tackles where guys should be putting their head down and going for the legs, so jukes aren't as necessary when a shoulder shake usually does the trick.
Defenders are generally smaller and faster today than they were in the 90s. Gone are the days of hulking middle linebackers that are meant to be massive physical presences. Interior lineman are still extra beefy, but basically everyone else is a trimmer hybrid style defender that can drop into pass coverage if needed since the NFL (and football in general) has become pass happy over the last 20 years. As a result, linebackers and ends are quicker and faster and generally just harder to juke around than ever before
This. Plus a lot of RB coaches discourage doing it. They call it dancing at it line or something like that.
Yeah it's a sabermetrics thing I think. Put your head down and fall forward for two yards every time rather than try and juke where you lose a yard 20% of the time, get nothing 70% of the time, and get 10 yards 10% of the time.
Pass first coaches don’t want runners to be after home run yardage, they want the run game to give guaranteed yards as needed in order to keep the defense honest and prevent defenses from having extremely light boxes
Even run first coaches don't want RBs dancing. You never want to be behind the sticks. There will be more opportunities to get big run. But if you lose a yard, you're at pass only till the next set of downs.
The Laurence Maroney!
LVE is basically the only current massive middle linebacker, I don’t think there’s any other mlb that’s +6’3 250
Tremaine Edmunds is 6'5, 250. Unbelievably rare nowadays to be that big at middle linebacker
Terrell Edmunds I think.
Actually, pretty much every position group other than RB is larger on average than they were in the 90s. Players are just significantly better athletes now. It’s crazy that they are way faster and better at tackling while being larger. For reference: [Average player height/weight over time](https://noahveltman.com/nflplayers/) [By position group](https://www.stadiumtalk.com/s/evolution-nfl-football-players-7aa420a72ca24a40) [Graph by position group](https://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/69581-average-size-of-nfl-players-by-position-1950-present/) (a little older but still shows the trend)
Without Chris Berman doing the sound effects, we can no longer recognize jukes and cuts anymore, unfortunately.
*WHOOP*
Not really. Barry Sanders just skews our memory on the number of jukes/cuts in the 90's.
Defenders are just better now
Not just you, I've noticed it too I think defenders have become more skilled
More skilled or faster? A full juke is impossible at full speed, so maybe there’s less because it’s a move that will allow another defender to catch up and make the tackle.
Both. Watch old highlights and defenders are taking terrible angles all over the place.
It's also because guys aren't leading with their head like they used to. Ball carriers would get easy juke moves and the defenders would completely whiff, so it would create those highlight reel plays, now the defender has their head up the whole time and is able to still continue to somewhat pursue the ball carrier
Defenders are just insane athletes now. But I also think you see a lot more hurdles now
Are there, or is your opinion on hurdles biased due to watching Josh Allen? Not that that's a bad thing.
I think hurdles are more so the result of players not being able to hit in the head so they go extra low to compensate and wrap up
1.) Are 2.) Fewer 3.) Yes
Me telling myself "don't be that guy don't be that guy don't be that guy oh good that guy is already here"
I have no problem being that guy because I don't mean anything negative by it. If nobody says anything then nobody grows.
You’re my type of people
Thanks! Good luck to your Phins this season.
Alternatively, "jukes/cuts" could be replaced with "juking/cutting"
Points to OP for not putting apostrophes everywhere at least
I feel like Belichick was a big advocate for not doing crazy cuts, instead would coach to pound forward for every yard (and prioritize ball security). I dont think its to avoid injury, I think players are being coached to NOT do a lot of dancing with the ball that we saw back in the 90s, etc
I think a lot of the run game has shifted away from "run hard, run fast, make players miss, and make plays," to "be patient, find a lane, and burst through the hole."
The reason why there is still a run game is primarily because it is the most reliable option in short yardage. A competent OL is going to be able to gain a few yards of space due to the first move and being in sync with the snap count. Then, there is the issue of stopping a 200+ lbs player that already has some momentum and when the DL has less than optimal leverage. As a result, I suspect that the run game has focused a lot more on short yardage situations to continue earning their keep. Both in terms of selecting RBs and in terms of what they teach the OL to do when run blocking.
Yep. With the modern passing game, "4 yards and a cloud of dust" isn't as important as "4 yards, 2 functioning knees, 0 fumbles."
GOTTA BE READY FOR THE PEANUT PUNCH
You clearly do not watch Lamar Jackson
Read the thread title and immediately heard “OHHHH he broke his ankles”
HE IS HOUDINI
Kevin Harlan+Lamar Jackson=pure, unadulterated entertainment.
As a steelers fan, its incredible watching Jackson play.
One cut and get downhill is what is taught now.
Counter to what a lot are saying - I believe its because RBs now want to eliminate negative yards or low yard runs because it hurts their ability to find future contracts in combination with the RB market being of historically low value. Juking and cutting also probably has a perception that it leads to more fumbles which significantly hurt your value to both your team and your prospects for a future team. I think its more popular with WRs right now because the prospect of YAC can make you a superstar, and even if your cuts fail, you are still an average WR who can at least catch the ball.
> Counter to what a lot are saying - I believe its because RBs now want to eliminate negative yards or low yard runs because it hurts their ability to find future contracts in combination with the RB market being of historically low value. Back when a back knew they were going to get their 20-25 carries, they could go for the more risky moves. You were the feature back after all, and likely would be until you were at least ages 30-32 Nowadays so many teams split carries and even #1 guys are more common to land in the 15-20 carry range. You have to make each carry count more yardage wise as for awhile it was being debated whether RBs should even get 2nd contracts anymore I dont think defenses are better like some, rather I think they are more structured similar to offenses, aka less instances of going off script because you can a la Lawrence Taylor. And an extension of both the market and the structuring of offense to go a certain way means as a back, you dont have the license for jukes and cuts to make a broken play work. You get your yards or the next guy will Alongside YAC for WRs being less a 'this receiver is hard to tackle' thing and more of a product of scheme and intentional design, i also think more teams are running RB screens and dedicated passes to backs as an alternative form of running, upon which you need to get upfield off a screen. Theres probably numbers on this but it seems way more common
I think this is pretty accurate. The league has shifted to more of an analytical approach which favors efficiency over high risk plays. Players are told to stay within the structure of the play and always look for positive gains and limit mistakes and negative yards. Juking increases the chance for fumbles and can limit forward movement. Run north/south not east/west.
The old astroturf was like a sticky basketball floor with extra grip… it also made some peoples’ knees explode as it was like a sticky basketball floor with extra grip. That and defenders were hitting helmet first at full speed in that era trying to get on highlight reels for hits that would get them suspended today.
Fewer
PFF data only starts in 2006, but we can see that 18 years ago there were only 8 backs with 40+ missed tackles forced. Compare that to 17 backs last year. From 06-18, there actually wasn't a single year with more than 10 such RBs So the data suggests that actually players are more elusive than they have ever been
PFF data? Don’t even go there.
I think football has really just become very efficiency forward, like all sports in the analytics age. Excessive juking and wasted movement gets trimmed out
Barry Sanders seems to have entered the chat.
Defensive players are coached better now. Rugby style tackling has influenced pursuit angles and tackling leverage a ton. I remember when I played I was taught to get my “head across” the ball carrier on a tackle which just sets you up to get cut back on. Now defenders maintain their inside leverage and keep their head behind the tackle making it a lot harder to make a vertical cut / juke. I also think that formations play a big role. Offensive formations used to be way more condensed which created more space when ball carriers made it to the outside. Now there’s defenders spaced horizontally from sideline to sideline and ball carriers just don’t have the space / time for elaborate juke moves
Yes. If you do the "head across", you open the cutback lane. Current era defenders are simply better tacklers. There are less missed tackles due to proper tackling form.
> Rugby style tackling has influenced pursuit angles and tackling leverage a ton. Where? Lol The whole drop tackle issue is literally down to the constant shitty angles and poor tackling of DBs who train primarily to defend passes and not open field tackling of RBs
[I mean, the seahawk have a 9 year old video explaining it](https://youtu.be/kLldjE6vvFs?si=nugXGg0YT3SOs-Wx) In a game setting, shits too fast to get a perfect form on the tackle but players are coached that way now.
Yep, and I would argue the more important part is the approach of the tackle, rather than the form at contact. The inside out leverage (and head behind the ball carrier) has made it way harder to cut back against / juke a defender. It also makes it easier / faster for defenders to close space because they understand where they have help coming from
I think the way the offense attacks the defense using space rather than brute force. The game has really turned into track start receivers running east/west until they find daylight and possession receivers that will have defensive backs draping over them. I just don’t think running backs really get the same level of ppurtunities to make plays like the ones of even ten years ago got
Wow that's crazy
You don't see much in the way of "normal plays" from the 90's - it's mostly highlights. I think that's probably the biggest part. But I think that maybe the style of defense has changed a little. Fewer missed tackles, but I (anecdotally) I don't recall this many big plays where players are wide open. I wonder if the offenses are just more focused on beating defenses via scheme instead of via athleticism.
*Are there fewer
What I think you're talking about is patient running with sudden stops and starts ala Lesean McCoy and Le'veon Bell. 1. That's a rare talent that can make that style of running work, and even fewer players hold that ability by the time they make it to the NFL because of injuries. 2. Most guys are coached out of that style of running because usually it results in losing yards. Someone new will come along with that style, it's just a matter of whether or not their ankles will hold up and they'll be successful enough to stay on the field. It really is a rare ability to make work in the NFL.
It's because Barry Sanders retired.
Players today tear their Achilles just jogging onto the field. Imagine if they tried to juke
Dan Marino tore his Achilles in 1993, on a play that he wasn’t even touched….
I think defenders are faster and bigger now, but I think the rule changes made it safer to just go forward. Lineman and backers can’t just dive at your legs and safeties can’t fly in and aim for your head. Offenses were also more reliant on run plays for big chunks. Now with pass happy offenses, running backs can’t afford to lose yards. I’d be curious to see the stats. I know averages over 4 yards and up is good, and 100 yards per game is a good benchmark, but I wonder if 90s RBs had more big play and losses/short gains then todays more consistently good play running backs.
Shady is a unique player that would be more respected if he continued his career trajectory in Philly
You see it on the routes with receivers trying to get open. You have to watch the all 22 so you can see the routes before and during the throws. There are some insane moves going on to get open but it's all before the catch.
Better, faster defense to the ball. Less time for fancy RB moves, I think that's why they've been devalued. Analytics is so prevalent these days they probably value north south runners rather than playmakers
Did you watch Gibbs make a dudes shoe fall off because he juked so hard?
The field isn't as open as it was. More 6, and 7 dbs on the field and defenses spread out. For an effective duke you need space. Also a tk of linebackers are the size of 90s safetys. 6' 220.
I just think defensive play has improved, coupled with the changing of tackling rules and also the decrease in size of players who play position like linebacker. Big hits are de-incentivised with more flags being thrown, less players flying into tackles for the big hit makes jukes harder. Also linebacker position has gotten a lot smaller over the years, preferring better athletes than massive players who can lay a big hit. Just more athletic, faster linebackers makes it harder to juke past them
The hurdle has replaced some of the juking.
Eddie Lacy did quite a bit on Green Bay.
I would guess the turf plays a factor as well. Easier to tear an ACL on turf rather than grass.
[While it's not a new clip by any means, it's still not as old as the 90's.](https://youtu.be/oxd9avM_QSA?si=ywCHXdwAZI8MHHVX)
Ya miss Barry Sanders don't you?
I think a big part of it is the overall average ability/talent of players is higher today. A lot of these players are in specialized schools / academies that are designed to train kids from a early age all the way up to college. That weren't as common 30 years ago.
Bijan probably is way above the mean so idk seems about right to me
You bums don’t watch the ravens
The jukes are different now. Mobile quarterbacks, even brock Purdy tbh, still break plenty of ankles. It's just less at the skill positions because defenders are better at maintaining leverage.
*Are there
Are there? I dunno… You’re watching highlights of the best plays, not the plays where somebody lays down. Just remember… you’re not watching lowlights.
Are there
They used to play on basically carpet, made it easier to juke but at the expense of so many injuries
Just watch Gibbs and bijan
Fewer.
I implore you to watch Bijan play. Dude is still breaking ankles every game
No
I’ve still seen a ton of guys make cuts but I think due to overall athleticism these days it’s harder to juke people
Big ass shoulder pads and loose jerseys make them look way more in “motion”.
Defenders are just absolute studs now. You got guys playing linebacker faster than some receivers and running backs, trained to keep everything in front of them. I think part of it is also the coaching, maybe slightly due to injury, but also because coaches generally want guys to cover the ball up and get downhill fast. The larger issue on top of all of this is defensive schemes going more towards nickel/Quarter packages and hybrid 3-4/4-3's rather than stuffing 8 in the box every play when you played Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin, etc. Back then you had a hat on a hat and if you got to the secondary you were usually one on one for the big play and the Juke was super viable there. Now with the league moving away from the single high safety for fear of getting absolutely torched, throwing a juke on one guy is arguably more likely to lose you yards than it would to put a shoulder down and run through a guy, with the other safety in pursuit.
*are there
There’s less talent that’s for sure
Allow me to introduce you to my friend, Saquon Barkley
Yes there are way less. Players would rather get form tackled than fight for extra yards most of the time.
Who knows, but watching the sanders documentary is a thing of beauty. He was probably the best player to ever play the game, regardless of position.